


together

by deducingontheroof



Category: Death Note (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Friends to Brothers, Gen, Relationship Study
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-07
Updated: 2017-12-07
Packaged: 2019-02-11 14:14:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12936999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deducingontheroof/pseuds/deducingontheroof
Summary: "What the hell, Matt?!" he shouted, "Leaving Wammy's? Why the hell would you do that?"Matt smiles sadly, crossing the room to take Mello's hands in his own. "I don't belong here, Mishka."





	together

**Author's Note:**

> This was my piece for the Death Note Charity Zine!! Please consider [buying the zine](https://gumroad.com/l/wFStn), all proceeds go to a great cause!!

"Mels, I'm leaving."

Mello blinked at the sight of Matt, goggles in place with a bag slung over his shoulder. He stood up quickly, face contorting in angry disbelief. 

"What the hell, Matt?!" he shouted, "Leaving Wammy's? Why the hell would you do that?"

Matt smiles sadly, crossing the room to take Mello's hands in his own. "I don't belong here, Mishka." 

Mello was taken aback by the affectionate form of his real name, but the surprise was quickly shoved aside. "What do you mean?! You're a successor! You're brilliant! Why the hell don't you think you belong?"

"This isn't what I want!" Matt insisted, "I don't want to be L. I don't want to solve crimes. I want a life that's my own."

Mello was silent a moment, but he didn't let go of Matt's hands. He could feel an angry tear forming, but he wouldn't cry. He wouldn't let himself. 

"I'm coming with you, then."

Matt blinked, surprise evident behind his goggles. "What?"

Mello smiled. "I don't want to spend the rest of my life in stupid Near's shadow. If you're leaving, Mail, I'm coming with you."

"But you love it here! You love solving crimes, and you want to be L more than anyone!"

"I don't." Mello sighed, releasing Matt's hands to stick them in his pockets. "I don't want to be L, I want to be Mello. I can solve crimes away from this place, and I'd have a better chance of standing out. _We'd_ have a better chance."

Matt grinned at that. "Alright, let's do it!! Pack a bag, Mishka!"

-

Mello reclined on the leather sofa, one hand holding a bar of chocolate and the other on Matt's shoulder as the redhead scowled at the bulky handheld console he had modded to act as a computer. Rod Ross was sitting across from them, a girl on either side, and two bulky men guarded the only door. 

"Lemme get this straight," Ross said slowly, not breaking eye contact with Mello. "You want in the gang because, what? You know how to shoot, and the scrawny punk can hack? I need more than that, kid."

"I'm not a damn kid," Mello barked, "And no. I want in because I'm a better fighter than all of your men combined, and the 'scrawny punk' can get into any system on the planet."

"Prove it," Ross challenged, his gaze moving to Matt. "Hack something big, like the Feds."

Matt blinked lazily behind his goggles, and Mello could see the ghost of a smirk on his face. "Which ones? I've already got access to the FBI and the CIA, not to mention M16 and the NPA in Japan. I can get into Interpol if you give me ten minutes and a smoke. By the way, you should upgrade your security. It took me less than a minute to break into your systems. You've got cameras everywhere, man. Paranoia, or distrust for your men?"

Mello couldn't hold back a grin. "That's why you want us, Ross. 

Ross' mouth was almost comically open, and it took him a minute to compose himself again. "Alright, you've got some decent chops. You're in. My boys will fix you up with an apartment and a burner phone. Make sure you answer it."

Ross snapped his fingers, and the two orphans- no, the two brothers stood, exchanging a glance. Matt's eyes glimmered with undetectable excitement.

They had found their place. 

-

The apartment was a mess when Mello returned from his latest mission, clothes stained with blood. He grimaced and peeled off his vest, tossing it onto the floor to deal with later. 

"Mattie?"

A patch of red hair was visible under a pile of blankets on the couch. Mello signed, kicking an old pizza box out of the way to approach Matt. 

He yanked the other's earbuds out. "I'm back."

Matt grinned, sitting up. "Welcome home, brother."

"Do you not know how to clean up while I'm gone?" Mello complained, "The place is a mess."

Matt laughed, "I've been busy hacking into the records at Wammy's."

"Why the hell?" Mello demanded, "Move your legs."

Matt obliged, lifting his legs for Mello to sit and plopping them in his lap. "I caught wind of some guy called Kira. Somehow he's able to cause any criminal to die if he knows their name, so I had to make sure that our real names aren't documented. Anywhere."

"And I suppose the great L is on the case?"

"Mhm. He's working with the NPA, but they don't have any solid leads." Matt yawned, setting his handheld aside. "We shouldn't use our real names ever until they catch him."

"No shit, brother. We're not gonna get caught," Mello assured, "We're not finished yet."

He looked over at Matt, but he was already asleep. Mello laughed softly, moving Matt's legs and covering his brother with a blanket. He had always been the type to fall asleep fast. 

He turned to the disaster that Matt created, and with a sigh, he started to clean up. 

-

Mello snapped off another piece of chocolate, only half listening to what Ross was going on about. Matt was beside him, as always, handheld in one hand and a smoke in the other. 

"I don't know why this matters to us," Mello said, "Kira's in Japan, and L's after him. He's gonna get caught."

He didn't mention that L was dead, or that the current L was an imposter. He didn't owe Ross any favours. 

"It matters, Mello, because me and my boys are vulnerable," Ross snapped, "You two may be ghosts, but we aren't."

"That's not my problem," Mello spat.

"It's about to be," Ross told levelly, snatching a handgun off of the table and aiming it coolly at Matt. “Make us ghosts, or I'll shoot you.”

Matt blinked, eyes wide under his goggles, and Mello's blood boiled. "Put the gun down, Ross, before I kill you."

Ross laughed, "Ambitious, little tiger. But you're forgetting that I'm still the leader of this gang. I gave you everything."

"You didn't give us anything," Mello growled, "We don't take charity. We work hard. This gang is nothing without me and my brother."

Ross laughed again. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, his face contorted, and he clutched at his chest. Screams echoed through the hideout as Ross fell to the ground.

"Shit, Kira got to them," Mello cursed, snatching the fallen gun. 

"We're safe, Mels, don't worry," Matt assured, stowing his handheld and grabbing the emergency gun Mello had hidden under the couch. "Don't forget who's next in line after Ross."

Mello froze. He hadn't even thought about that. He was next in line. 

Mello was the new leader, and his gang was screaming and dying around him. 

-

Matt snapped the phone shut, tossing it across the room in annoyance. 

"Who was it?" Mello yawned, a girl on his arm and a chocolate bar in his hand. 

"An old friend," Matt said vaguely, giving Mello a meaningful look.

"Out," Mello ordered quickly, shoving the girl away. "Everyone get the hell out. Jack, guard the door."

Once the room was empty, Mello turned back to Matt. "Roger?"

"Near," Matt told with a frown, "He wants our help with the Kira investigation."

Mello sneered. "He's finally realized he isn't good enough, huh? Did you tell him to go screw himself?"

"I said we'd think about it. I don't like it, but Mels, he sounded really desperate."

"Near? Desperate?" Mello snorted, "Hilarious. It's way too dangerous for us to get involved with Kira."

"Thought you live for danger," Matt teased with a grin.

"This is different." Mello was silent, thinking for a minute. "He can have the gang, and he can have your intel, but we don't get involved directly, and he doesn't come here. Knowing that idiot, he'll lead Kira straight to us."

"You've changed, Mishka," Matt smiled, retrieving the phone he had thrown. "Four years ago, you wouldn't have helped him. You hated him."

"He's not a bad kid. We aren't rivals anymore, so I don't have a reason to hate him." Mello shrugged, and slugged Matt in the shoulder. "And don't call me Mishka, you dick."

-

It was over. 

With support from Matt, Near had defeated Kira. They had done it. 

Kira was dead. 

Mello hopped up onto the railing with a smile, poking Matt with his foot. "You did it, Mail."

Matt smiled, taking another drag off his smoke. "We did it."

The two stayed like that, Matt smoking his way through half a pack and Mello staring at the sky. It didn't look different, but everything had changed.

"What's next for us, Mattie?" Mello asked quietly. 

"I dunno, Mels," Matt said, exhaling slowly. "Most of the gang is dead, and everyone who lived hates us. We can't stay in LA, that's for sure."

"You know, Near's back in England." Mello unwrapped another bar of chocolate, giving his hands something to fidget with. "With Kira gone, crime's climbing again."

"Yeah, I know. He texted me yesterday," Matt said softly. "Him and Roger are starting Wammy's up again. He told me he could use some old friends to help him."

"What, we'd be successors again? Back in Near's shadow?" Mello snorted, "No thanks."

"L isn't the only detective controlled by Wammy's," Matt reminded, "And he said we could just be teachers or something."

Mello was quiet. He did miss detective work, and as much as he hated to admit it, he missed Near. "It's your call, Mail. You were the one who wanted to leave, and I'm always beside you. No matter what you decide, brother, I'll be with you. 

Matt finished his smoke, and lit another. His goggled eyes were watering. "You know I hate making decisions."

"This is one decision that you have to make, and you alone."

There was nothing but silence for nearly ten minutes, but this time, Mello could be patient. This choice would define the rest of their lives 

Mello finished off his chocolate just as Matt finally spoke. 

"Let's start packing then, Mihael," he said, his voice barely trembling. "We're going to England."

**Author's Note:**

> like what you see here? check out my [writing blog!](https://charlie-albus.tumblr.com)


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